


count me in

by dinosaur



Series: 10 Days of Ficletmas [5]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-22
Updated: 2014-12-22
Packaged: 2018-03-02 22:27:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2828249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dinosaur/pseuds/dinosaur
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Liam. I thought you were -" a Black Friday-er. He's wearing a fucking leopard print trench. "Why are you -"</p>
<p>"I can't explain." Liam says, sighing like he's letting all the air from the past five years out of his body at once.</p>
<p>"Harry." Zayn guesses. They both really need new friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	count me in

**Author's Note:**

> amalgamated from [tumblr](http://imlikenah.tumblr.com/tagged/10dof). on a fateful day in early december i had an Intense Reaction to [this au post](http://imlikenah.tumblr.com/post/104209923365/captainasexual-fun-holiday-aus-for-you-to). and my inevitable downfall into the 10 Days of Ficletmas was decided.
> 
> so, on the fifth day of christmas, i gave to you,  
> ziam: my sister told me to buy this crappy toy for my niece and you work here please help me find it. it’s black friday and i’m afraid au
> 
> and with this one i realized a lot of these are about 1d being clumsy, which is unsurprising, and really not au at all.

Zayn finds him standing in the back of the shop next to the employees back exit and the shelf where they've tucked the off-brand board games that are selling poorly.

Zayn pauses with his cig halfway to his mouth already. He was supposed to be on break 20 minutes ago but Caroline needed help with the crisp boxes and Lydia challenged him to a slush puppy race. He won, but now his hands are aching to light up and there's a customer standing in front of the exit staring at their bad board games like they hold all of life's answers. 

They don't. Zayn's tested it. Repeatedly.

He clears his throat a little, hoping that will encourage movement. It's been a long day and the shop is still fairly bustling because Zayn drew the fucking shortest stick in the world and pulled Black Friday duty.

The guy is still standing there staring. It's the longest Zayn's seem anyone stand still all day, which is kinda interesting and mostly annoying now that he's finally resigned himself to the pace and is also on break.

"May I help you?" He finally says.

The guy literally jumps, knocking both his elbows into the shelf and giving a faint yelp like when Zayn startles awake one of the newborn kits at home.

Zayn shuts his tightly eyes and prays nothing falls. He doesn't want to watch calamity strike _and_ have to clean it up.

There's a crashing sound and Zayn presses his empty hand to his temple and begins massaging.

There's a gentle pressure at his other temple and while it feels heavenly - what the actual fuck. Zayn opens his eyes, ready to literally lay into this prick and looks into Liam Payne's 'I'm sorry, please don't be mad, are you okay, have a massage' face. Which is a fairly common occurrence just from all the 10 times Zayn's met him. The both of them probably need new friends.

"Liam. I thought you were -" a Black Friday-er. He's wearing a fucking leopard print trench. "Why are you -"

"I can't explain." Liam says, sighing like he's letting all the air from the past five years out of his body at once.

"Harry." Zayn guesses. They both really need new friends.

"It's only for three more days. But then Ruth called and told me to - "

"Weather Black Friday to purchase gifts for the tots, because you don't have any of your own, you don't have to work and you have great big muscly arms you should be putting to use." Zayn guesses again.

"It was only one thing." Liam defends, but his own face betrays him.

Zayn's on a roll, someone should be keeping score.

"And she didn't mention anything about my arms at all." Liam raises an eyebrow, but he's also started to flush in that splotchy, apple-cheeked way Zayn really enjoys, so he still counts that in his favor.

Decidedly not looking down at what's sure to be a horrible mess of Things Zayn Has To Clean, he leans against the shelving next to Liam. If he props his shoulder just right, his polo should pull just right across his chest.

Sure enough, Liam's eyes flicker down, widen, and then close immediately like they're trying to either burn the image or remove all trace.

Zayn stays propped where he is. the cig still in his hand goes back behind his ear as he waits the silence out. Liam'll collect himself and fumble an excuse and then leave, but for now Zayn enjoys knowing he's got Liam right here, thinking about him, looking interestingly like a right git in this Harry print.

Eventually Liam opens his eyes. Zayn tries to clench down on the flutter his stomach gives at Liam's dilated pupils, tries not to think about his tensed arms or how badly he sometimes wishes this dance they've been doing every time they see each other would finally take a bow. It's been fun, but it's wearing.

He knows Liam's attracted to him. He knows Liam like's his Marvel collection and his supras and sleeve. He just doesn't know if Liam likes him. It leaves his mouth sour.

The pressure behind his temples, constant today, threatens to overfill. Zayn practices breathing deeply while Liam looks at him, still intense. The moment is vast, he reminds himself. And you are fine and everything is okay and you are present and fine.

He readies himself to say something, anything like I'm sorry and I know and it's really fine and the games you're probably looking for are over on five.

"Black Panther's in cinema this weekend." Liam says, loud like he's said it several times in his head before venturing out loud.

"Yeah?" Zayn clamps down on his stomach's renewed interest in the conversation. 

"Do you wanna," Liam clears his throat, looks determined. "Do you wanna go with me? Like a date. I mean, actually a date, not like, but for real -"

Zayn nudges Liam's very nice, bristly chin. "Yes, Liam."

Liam smiles so hard, whole face lighting up, Zayn can feel it even in his chin. Point to Liam, he thinks, a fair dazzled.

"And the games you're probably looking for are on five." Zayn says.

Liam's face falls. He looks a step away from a full on strop. A spotty strop. 

Zayn laughs into the crook of his own shoulder, barely manages the "Aw, babe." he thinks, out loud.


End file.
